- Benghazi consulate was not protected by the contingent of Marines that usually safeguard embassies and instead was guarded by Libyan and State Department security officers
- Embassy was ‘an interim facility’ lacking bulletproof glass, reinforced doors or other features common to embassies
- USS Laboon and USS McFaul, which are both armed with Tomahawk missiles, to be sent to the coast of Libya
- Attack came amid protests following film The Innocence Of Muslims which ‘insults Prophet Mohammed’
- Attackers could have been staging revenge attack for death of al Qaeda official in June
- Officials noted that attack came on 11th anniversary of 9/11
- U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens died of ‘smoke inhalation’ after grenade attack on consulate in Benghazi
- President Obama vows to hunt down Stevens’ killers
- Marines on their way to Benghazi to provide additional security and drones expected to gather intelligence
By Jill Reilly
PUBLISHED:18:14 EST, 12 September 2012| UPDATED:13:47 EST, 13 September 2012
The full scale of the chaos in the wake of an attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya became clear today after it emerged American Ambassador Christopher Stevens was missing for five hours.
It has also been revealed that the Benghazi consulate was not protected by the contingent of Marines that usually safeguard embassies and instead was guarded by Libyan and State Department security officers.
A senior administration official said the embassy was ‘an interim facility,’ which the State Department began using ‘before the fall of Gaddafi” reported Politico.
The embassy was vulnerable to attack because it did not have bulletproof glass, reinforced doors or other features common to embassies, according to reports.
The attack has prompted President Barack Obama to demand increased security at U.S. embassies around the world.
Gunfire erupted at the Benghazi compound at 10pm on Tuesday night and with the attack coming in two waves, Libyan and American authorities did not regain control again until 2:30am.
A U.S. State Department official said Mr Stevens and his team ‘became separated from each other due to the heavy, dark smoke while they were trying to evacuate the burning building.’
At some time between 10.15 pm and 11.20 pm, Mr Stevens was taken from the main building by Libyans to the hospital.
But the diplomat was not seen again by his colleagues until hours later when his body was brought to the Benghazi airport from the hospital.
The attack came amid violence in Libya and Cairo, which had been sparked by a 14-minute trailer for a film called The Innocence Of Muslims posted on YouTube.
The description of events at the consulate, while preliminary, appeared to raise questions about security preparations and procedures.
A U.S. official said there were no U.S. military personnel at the mission in Benghazi at the time of the attack.
Questioned about the consulate’s security, the officials said the compound was guarded by both Libyan security and a ‘robust’ force of U.S. security officers, and that a regular security review before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had recently been completed.
‘And at that point there was no information and there were no threat streams to indicate that we were insufficiently postured,’ said another U.S. official.
Burnt out: The U.S. consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi – it has also been revealed today that the Benghazi consulate was not protected by the contingent of Marines that usually safeguard embassies
Panic: A U.S. State Department official said Mr Stevens and his team ‘became separated from each other due to the heavy, dark smoke while they were trying to evacuate the burning building’
Target: The embassy was vulnerable to attack because it did not have bulletproof glass, reinforced doors or other features common to embassies
‘I HAVE A HOLE IN MY HEART’: DEAD AMBASSADOR’S MOTHER PAYS TRIBUTE TO SON SHE LOST IN LIBYA
The family of U.S. ambassador killed in the brazen attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya remember his fearless nature and remarkable composure.
Christoper Steven’s mother, Mary Commanday told New York Daily News: ‘He did love what he did, and did a very good job with it. He could have done a lot of other things, but this was his passion.’
‘I have a hole in my heart,’ said his mother.
Stevens’ stepfather Bob Commanday, 90, of Oakland, said the diplomat would tell his mother his assignments in the Arab world were ‘no more dangerous than Oakland.’
‘He was selfless,’ said his younger brother Thomas Stevens, an assistant U.S. Attorney in San Francisco.
‘He got along with everyone he met because he was interested in them, not in himself. That’s what made him a great diplomat.’
His family last saw him about four months ago, Mr Commanday said, when they threw him a farewell party in the San Francisco Bay area.
His brother was not surprised to hear that Stevens risked his life to help his staff.
‘He’s loyal. He doesn’t bail out,’ Thomas Stevens said. ‘The thought of driving away was not consistent with who he was.’
In response to the attacks, the U.S. has launched a major military manhunt to find the terrorists responsible, announcing they are sending warships to the coast of Libya in an apparent terrorist hunt, andAmerican drone aircraft are also expected to join the search for potential targets.
The White House has said it is keeping an open mind as to the reason for Tuesday’s strike in Libya,but it is investigating whether the attack in Benghazi was planned in advance by terrorists.
The assault had initially been thought to have been a spontaneous reaction to protests over an anti-Islamic film, but there is now speculation it was a long-planned ambush on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack, or a revenge attack for death of an al Qaeda official in June in Yemen.
State Department officials said the two incidents at the diplomatic missions were not related and said they believe the Benghazi violence was a ‘clearly planned attack.’
A U.S. counter-terrorism official said the Benghazi violence was ‘too co-ordinated or professional’ to be unplanned.
The attack raises questions about the future U.S. diplomatic presence in Libya, relations between Washington and Tripoli, and the unstable security situation after Gaddafi’s overthrow.
It has also raised issues about why the building, which had been attacked before, was so poorly protected.
It has been suggested that the attack was in retaliation for the death of anal Qaeda official, which was confirmed this week and that should have meant security would have been high at the U.S embassy in the troubled region.
Officials have voiced their concern that the attack was timed for the 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, which were commemorated across the U.S. on Tuesday.
‘We’ve been talking for years about the desire of al Qaeda, radical jihadists to celebrate the anniversary of 9/11,’ Pete Hoekstra, former chairman of the House intelligence committee, told FoxNews.com.
‘All my background, all of the conversations that I’ve had over the last 18 hours, lead many people to believe that this was just more than a mere coincidence.’
He added that Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri recently released a video calling on militants to attack Americans for revenge for the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi in Pakistan – and that the anti-Mohammed film could have been a cover.
A London think tank run by a former Libyan militant leader also suggested on Tuesday that not only was the Benghazi attack ‘well planned’, but that it may have been retaliation.
The Quilliam Foundation said that 24 hours before the Benghazi incident, al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, distributed a video to militant websites in which he confirmed the death of his second in command, Abu Yahya al-Libi, and urged Libyans to avenge his killing.
Quilliam, whose president, Noman Benotman, once was a leader of an anti-Gaddafi militant faction said that according to its sources, up to 20 militants had prepared for a military assault.
Loss: Chris Stevens, pictured in Tripoli in June, was a 21-year veteran of the foreign service and determined to bring democracy to the people of Libya
Victims: Mr Stevens (left) died from smoke inhalation while communications officer Sean Smith (right), a married father-of-two, was also killed in the attack
Making a difference: Mr Obama said it was tragic how Mr Stevens, left, died in a country he had helped saveMeanwhile, further details have emerged about the Benghazi attack – Mr Stevens and information technology specialist Sean Smith were killed during an attempt by U.S. forces to evacuate staff from a safe house, Libya’s Deputy Interior Minister Wanis Al-Sharif said.
U.S. consular staff were moved to the safe house after an attack on the consul building, which also claimed the life of former Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, 42.
A plane with U.S. security units arrived from Tripoli to evacuate other staff but militants discovered the location of the safe house, he said.
‘It was supposed to be a secret place and we were surprised the armed groups knew about it. There was shooting,’ he said.
Graphic images taken at the scene show civilians making desperate attempts to pull the diplomat to safety. But their efforts were futile.
The doctor who treated him said he died of severe asphyxiation, which caused stomach bleeding and that Mr Stevens had no other injuries
Revolt: Gunfire erupted at the Benghazi compound at 10pm on Tuesday night and with the attack coming in two waves, Libyan and American authorities did not regain control again until 2:30am
A U.S. State Department official said Mr Stevens and his team ‘became separated from each other due to the heavy, dark smoke while they were trying to evacuate the burning building
WAS DEATH OF AL QAEDA LEADER ABU YAHYA AL-LIBI THE REASON FOR ATTACK ON U.S EMBASSY?
A London think tank run by a former Libyan militant leader suggested on Tuesday that not only was the Benghazi attack ‘well planned,’but that it may have been retaliation for an American drone attack that killed a Libyan leader of al Qaeda’s core command group earlier this year.
The Quilliam Foundation said that 24 hours before the Benghazi incident, al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, distributed a video to militant websites in which he confirmed the death of his second in command, known as Abu Yahya al-Libi, and urged Libyans to avenge his killing.
Quilliam, whose president, Noman Benotman, once was a leader of an anti-Gaddafi militant faction said that according to its sources, up to 20 militants had prepared for a military assault.
Quilliam said the assault on the Benghazi Consulate took place in two waves.
After the first wave, U.S. officials arranged an evacuation of the Consulate by Libyan security forces. As the evacuation was taking place, a second wave of attacks was launched against U.S. officials.
Dr Ziad Abu Zeid, said Mr Stevens was brought to the Benghazi Medical Center by Libyans on Tuesday night with no other Americans, and that initially no one realized he was the ambassador.
The doctor tried for 90 minutes to revive him.
Mr Stevens was a career diplomat who spoke Arabic and French and had already served two tours in Libya, including running the office in Benghazi during the revolt against Muammar Gaddafi.
Five other U.S. ambassadors have been killed in the line of duty, the last being Adolph Dubs in Afghanistan in 1979.
U.S. officials said one destroyer, the USS Laboon, moved to a position off the coast of Libya, and the USS McFaul is en route and should be stationed off the coast within days.
The officials say the ships, which carry Tomahawk missiles, do not have a specific mission, but they give commanders flexibility to respond to any mission ordered by the president.
The destroyers have crews totaling about 300 each. There have been four destroyers in the Mediterranean for some time. These moves will increase that to five.
President Barack Obama could also command unmanned surveillance drones to fly over Benghazi in search of jihadi encampments possibly tied to the deadly attack, a U.S. official said who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The drones, which would pass gathered information to Libyans, are expected to be approved by the Pentagon and White House shortly.
With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at his side on Wednesday, Mr Obama said: ‘Justice will be done.’
A White House official said national security advisor Tom Donilon first briefed the president on the violence in Benghazi on Tuesday afternoon, and that he was updated throughout the evening, and notified late Tuesday that Mr Steven was unaccounted for.
Obama learned Wednesday that Stevens was confirmed dead Wednesday morning, the official said.
President Obama condemned the attack and paid tribute to the late Ambassador Stevens as he ordered increased security at diplomatic posts around the world.
‘It’s especially tragic that Chris Stevens died in Benghazi, as it’s a city that he helped to save,’ Mr Obama said outside the White House.
With ‘characteristic skill, courage and resolve, he built partnerships with Libyans… and he worked tirelessly to support this young democracy.
‘He was a role model to those who worked with him and to the young diplomats who strive to follow in his footsteps.
‘These four Americans stood up for freedom and human dignity. We grieve with their families but let us carry on their memory… I have no doubt that their legacy will live on.’
He added: ‘The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms this outrageous and shocking attack. There is no justification to this type of senseless violence. None.’
In a statement, Mrs Clinton added: ‘I had the privilege of swearing in Chris for his post in Libya only a few months ago. He risked his own life to lend the Libyan people a helping hand to build the foundation for a new, free nation.’
Reinforcements: The USS Laboon has also been sent to the coast of Libya, one day after Ambassador Stevens’ death at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi
Destroyer: The USS McFaul is en route and should be stationed off the coast of Libya within daysThere is now speculation over the identity of the film’s producer who works under the pseudonym of Sam Bacile.
Bacile had told reporters that he was an Israeli Jew who financed the project with $5million from 100 Jewish donors.
None of those statements have proven to be true, and Israeli officials later confirmed that there is no citizen of their country with that name.
Speaking by phone from an undisclosed location on Tuesday, ‘Bacile’ remained defiant, saying he intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion.
‘This is a political movie,’ said Bacile.
‘The U.S. lost a lot of money and a lot of people in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we’re fighting with ideas.’
‘Islam is a cancer, period,’ he said repeatedly.
YouTube has since blocked the video in Egypt and Libya.
Condemnation: President Obama, joined by Hillary Clinton, speaks in reaction to the killing of the US Ambassador to Libya on Wednesday morning
Tribute: President Obama ordered flags to be flown at half-mast across the country, including at the White House, as seen aboveBut it can still be seen elsewhere, including the U.S. as the video sharing site says the clip doesn’t violate its policies.
The Google-Inc. video site took the unusual step Wednesday of publicly commenting on the video, a practice it typically tries to avoid.
‘We work hard to create a community everyone can enjoy and which also enables people to express different opinions,’ YouTube said in a statement.
‘This can be a challenge because what’s OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere. This video – which is widely available on the web – is clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube. However, given the very difficult situation in Libya and Egypt we have temporarily restricted access in both countries. Our hearts are with the families of the people murdered in yesterday’s attack in Libya.